Posted!

Join the Conversation

Former state archivist 'de-mythologizes' Nevada history

Bonnie Matton
12:48 p.m. PST March 5, 2014

Guy Rocha, former Nevada state archivist, recently was the guest speaker at a meeting of Historical Society of Dayton Valley in the Dayton Community Center. Rocha spoke to an audience of 65 on the subject of “Separating Fact from Fiction Using Primary Documentation.”(Photo: RGJ file)

On Feb. 17, retired Nevada State Archivist, Guy Rocha was the guest speaker at the Historical Society of Dayton Valley (HSDV) general 'meet and greet' meeting held in the Dayton Community Center.

He gave a very interesting and informative lecture to an audience of 65on the subject of "Separating Fact from Fiction Using Primary Documentation."

"In the 21st century, and with the use of the Internet, it is much easier to separate what's true and what isn't. If you are writing up a story on your family history, make sure you take the time to check for accuracy by researching historical documents," Rocha said.

He started out the evening with a cut from an old 1960 Andy Griffith TV Show, which gave a perfect example of how so many of us want to believe what they want to hear as fact, even though it's proven to be fiction. The show opened with Opie Taylor (played by a young Ron Howard) was given an assignment by his teacher to write about the "Battle of Mayberry," Mayberry being the town in the show. Opie started interviewing the townspeople and was impressed by all the different stories of their great grandparents and what part they played in the battle and how they saved the town. But, Opie's father suggested he do some additional fact-finding information and suggested he go to the library to read up on the history of the battle. Opie found out that all the stories he'd heard from locals turned out to be false. There never had been a 'Battle of Mayberry.'

Too often, data about events happening 150 years ago and more were based on legends and lore, which later were eventually passed down in writing as fact. Rocha told the audience the best place to separate fact from fiction is the huge selection of newspapers which can go back hundreds of years in the archives of town and county libraries.

For instance, Rocha said, "There is a plaque on the side of the Odeon Hall in Old Town Day which states in 1879 President Grant spoke from the balcony of the building. But that truth was it never happened. In looking up Dayton in history books, I learned he did actually travel through Dayton, but never stopped." Rocha has spent nearly 30 years researching, studying and analyzing the state's history and is famous for being a mythbuster in his field.

"My legacy now is to share with people what knowledge I have learned as a Nevada state archivist," he said. "But one question we have yet to find the answer to: What is truly Nevada's first permanent settlement, Dayton or Genoa?"